Manufacture of shoes



A. F. PYM

' MANUFACTURE OF SHOES July 24, 1928. 1,678,165

F iled Nov. 28. 1921 3- Sheets-Sheet l July 24, 1928. 1,678,165

' A. F. PYM

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Nov.28. 1921 s Sheets-Sht 2 July 24 .1928. Iv A. F. PYM

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

Filed Nov.;28. 1921 I5Sheets-Sheet 3 g llu Patented July 24, 1928 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR F. PYM, 0E LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIGivoR To UNTT'EE SHOEMACHINERY CORPORATION, oErATERsoN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

I Application filed November 28, 1921. Serial No. 518.294.

. This invention relates to the manufacture of turned shoes, and isdirected particularly to improving the shape given such shoes duringtheir manufacture, the present application being in part-a continuationof my pending application Serial No. 443,043, filed February 7, 1921. i

In the manufacture of shoes of this type as heretofore made, the threeoperations of first lasting, second lasting, and treeing have all beenrelied upon asimportant factors in inmarting to the shoes the desiredshape. While in ordinary practice the second lasting is particularlyimportant in the shaping of. turned shoes, nevertheless, in spite ofefficient second lasting, there remains a good deal of final shaping tobe done in the treeing operation. Too much reliance upon treeing, or anyother operation involving stretching or shrinking of the leather, isundesirable, and an object of the present invention, therefore, ashereinafter more fully set forth, is to minimize the shaping which mustbe effected by the treeing operation by improving the first lasting andsecond lasting operations.

Itv is usual to provide a smaller first than second last, to compensateroughly for the change caused by turning the shoe, but so far I am awareit has not previously been proposed to design a first last differentlyfrom the corresponding second last, toprovide an exact compensation forthis change. At present the first last is customarily just like I thesecond last except that it is one-half size shorter or narrower. Now thesecond last must necessarily be narrower than the sole of the shoe,since itis to go inside of the shoe afterit is turned, and thefirst lastis therefore, according to the present system, still narrower. Thus thesole, of the shoe, when pla ed thcreon'in the assembling operation,

,projects on all sides beyond the first last.

Obviously it is difficult tolast and stitch such a shoe ti ghtly onaccount of this unsupported margin, even if a first-last could be usedwhich affords an accurate form over which to shape the shoe. Moreover,even if, in a special case, the sole were stiff enough to support itselfsuliiciently to permit the accurate and tight lasting which is usual,for example, with Goodyear welt shoes, since the spending second last inthe shape and size of cross-sections through its various parts, in anamount exactly to compensate for the changes caused by turning a shoelasted thereon. first last be wider across the bottom of its forepartthan the corresponding second last,

It is preferred, further, that the so as to support an entire sole,clear out to its edges, in themanner of a welt insole, thus providingfor securing the same'tight and efiicient. lasting with turned shoes aswith Goodyear welts.

Having in mind the importance of improving the shaping of the shoeduring the step of relasting, as above explained, in a further aspect myinvention contemplates a novel process of seating a second last in ashoe after turning which permits as tight a fit of the shoe on this lastas if it were still on a first last. While this is especiallyadvantageous in manufacturing turned shoes according to the oldermethods; it is also well adapted to be used in connection with myimproved first lasting operation discussed above.

Accordingto this novel process the shoe is engaged in such a manner thatas the shoe and last are relatively moved, the shoe upper is broadened,so that it may afterwards contract by reason of the elasticity of theleather into tight engagement with the last. It is also my intention toavoid any possible damage to the shoe when relasting it so tightly, bypermitting slippage to occur when the last has been seated in the shoe.I prefer to bring about both of these results by engaging the forwardpart ofthe shoe by a friction member, which can slip when the relastingoperation is completed, and. which acts by a pushing action to broadenthe shoe upper as it is forced on a last. I prefer also to aid insmoothly seating the last in the shoe by relatively tipping the last andshoe so that the toe of the last does not catch on the channel lip ofthe sole, by relatively twisting the last and shoe to guide theirrelative longitudinal movement, by stretchingand smoothing out thelining during the relasting, and

scribed. i Y

-Accordi'ng to the grade of the shoe, and the consequent ease ofmanipulating it, I may utilize the friction memberprogressively to forcethe shoe bottom against thelast during the relasting of the counterportion of the shoe, or avoid possible ov ershot toes by using it toseat the last carefully in exactly the correct position in the toe andthento hold the shoe and last tightly clamped together while the counteris relasted. Alternatively, if it is desired to avoid straining the backseam, I may move the toe of the last further into the shoe than itsfinal position, to provide additional clearance at the heel, and afterthe relasting of the counter by other related operations hereinafterde-' move the shoe relatively to the lastin a forward direction to takeup the loosenessintro duced by providing such additional clearance. Itis also desirable to avoid any looseness in the, upper by lacing orotherwise securing it about the second last while the shoe bot tom istightly compressed against the last; or. the desired tight fit may beobtained by lacing the shoe and thenforcing the instep block into placewhile the shoe bottom is under such pressure. p I c The above and otheraspects of the invention including the formof the required apparatus,and the manner of operating it, will be apparent from the followingdescription of the various figures in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing, in full lines, my improved firstlast and in dotted lines a corresponding second last;

. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively sections on the lines 22 and 33 of Fig.1, showing sections of the lasts;

Figs. 4 to 10 are diagrammatic figures illustrating the successive stepsof one manner of carrying out my novel process of relasting shoes; i

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a toe shoe horn used to stretch andsmooth the lining during relasting;

Figs. 12 to 18 are a series of diagrammatic views corresponding to Figs.L to 10, and illustrating the successive steps of an alternative mannerof carrying out my novel process of relasting shoes;

Fig. l9-is a view corresponding to Fig. 13 of my prior applicationSerial No. 443,043,

filed Feb. 7, 1921, illustrating a modification of tl'ieapparatus shownand claimed in that application, to adapt it for use in performing themethod of Figs. 12 to 18 (the apparatus as shown in the said applicationto turning.

being adapted for use in carrying out the method of Figs. 4 to 10herein) Fig. 20 is a cross-section of a preferred form-of shoe-engagingroll-for use in the apparatus of the above-identifiedprior application;and

Fig. 21' is adiagrammatic view illustrating the use of a fabric toenable the shoeengagingroll to get a grip on soles which are moist andslippery by reason of being in temper, or to protect a finished surfacefrom injury by such aroll. In Figs. 1 to 3, nay improved first last isshown in full lines, and the corresponding secondlast in dotted. lines.As explained above, and as will be obviousfrom a comparison of the threefigures, the first last has less material across the top of the forepartand the bottom of the rear part, as compared with a corresponding secondlast, in an amount just suificient to compensate for the change of theinside of the shoe due the reversal of materials, such as the counterand the sole, which are inside the upper in one position and outs de 1nthe other position, and in part to the fact that on the first Suchchange is due in partto" last the upper passes over theedge'of the isole to reach the seam while on the second last it doesnot. u

In connection-with the latter fact, atten-- tion is called to Fig. 2,showing in broken lines a sole in position on the first last. The

sole so shown is also, as will be seen, in correct position with respectto the second last except thatit is upside clown.- In first lasting, theupper must reach from on around 6, 0, and, d, to 6; whereas on-thesecond last it does not pass over the edges 6 and ""d of the sole, butonly through the distance ACD. Accordingly, an important aspect of myinvention is in so relatingthe lasts that the distance abccZ-e shallequal the distance A-C D. The measurements of Fig. 2 are shown assomewhat distorted in order more clearly to illustrate the two difierentpositions of the upper.

By reason of this exact compensation a shoe made on a pair of theselasts will fit each of them equally well and tightly, and

will thus deriveits form, to a much greater degree than has everbeforebeen possible,

from careful lasting onthe first last.

In addition to this careful compensation for the change" in shape due toturning, it

will be seen that my improved first last may be characterized by beingenough broader thanthe corresponding second last to support the edges ofa sole beyond-the seam,

vantages of the upward smoothing action of the wipers of that machinemay be secured on turns as on welts.

After the first lasting, stitching, and turning operations, a turnedshoe is relasted on its second last. This operation is of greatimportance, as the shape of the finished shoe depends largely on thesecond last and on the operation of relastingor inserting the secondlast. My novel processof performing this operation is designed with aView to securing a tighter fit. on the second last than hasheretoforebeen feasible, While at the sametime permitting the relasterto exercise greater control of the operationthan' has been the ease upto the present time.

In my above-referred to prior application No. 443,043, is illustratedaform of apparatus which may be utilized in carrying out this novelprocess. The work-engaging parts of that apparatus are shown in adiagrammatic way in Figs. 4 to 10 herein, illustrating one manner ofperforming my process of relastin'g shoes, and it will be understoodthat in details of actuating mechanism and'construction of parts theapparatus may, if desired, be substantially in accordance with thatdescribed and claimed in my said prior application.

As explained in that applicationmy improved apparatus is designed toengage the shoe in a manner to broaden or stretch the upper of a shoewhile a. last is being seated therein, thus facilitating the seating ofthe last and permitting the upper afterwards to contract by its ownelasticity, aided as I prefer by the longitudinal pull of a. shoe hornon the counter portion of the shoe, into extremely tight engagement withthe last. I find it quite feasible to secure relasted shoes as tightlysecured about the enclosed lasts as lasted welt shoes, a result greatlysuperior to any secured by prior methodsof which I am aware. Y

A roll 30, rotatable under control of an operator, is arranged toco-operate with a shoe horn 32, to seat a shoe S on a last L supportedon a last pin 34. The relation of these parts before the machine startsis shown in Fig. 4:. When the machine starts the roll first moves upwardinto engagement with the shoe bottom, as shown in Fig. 5, and is thenrotated in the direction of the arrow in that figure until the forepartof" the shoe is seated on the last.

It will be observedthat the roll at this time engages the shoe forwardlyof the shank, as distinguished from prior relasting devices which engagethe shoe at the shank or heel seat. This gives a pushing efi'ect whichresults in a marked broadening of the upper, the advantage of which haspreviously been pointed out. The difference in the effects of thesevarious ways of engaging a shoe can readily be demonstrated experimentally by holding a shoe and manually pushing on it from the forepart,producing the desired" broadening, and then grasping it at the shank orheel seat and pulling on it, which, it will be found, narrows the upperto a degree which is very noticeable, and which requires considerableforce to overcome in seating a last in a shoe so held, and which allowsthe upper to broaden when released, thereby tending to loosen it on thelast.

A further advantage of engaging the shoe at the forepart as shown inFig. 5, is that the toe end of the sole is pulled downwardly, so thatthe toe of the last cannot catch on the channel lipas it passes over it.

with respect to the sole, it is relatively easy to stretch the upperinto place. Accordingly I find it advantageous, in securing the tightlasting which is one object of my process, to urge the upper relativelyforward with respect to the sole as the shoe and last are beingrelatively moved, by pounding it at the toe with wiping hammer blows, orotherwise. This stretches the upper forwardly on the last, anddiminishes the resistance offered thereby to the forward thrust of thelast. The upper is afterwards pulled back into place by the rearwardpull of the shoe horn in relasting the counter portion of the shoe.

It is further helpful, in securing the desired result, to arrange theroll so that the effective direction of the pushing force may be varied,in order to keep it parallel to the axis of the forepart of the last,regardless of the swing of the last. As an illustrative arrangement forthis purpose, the roll 30 is of variable diameter, and may be movedaxially under the control of the operator, to

bring portions of different diameter (and consequent differentperipheral speeds) in engagement with opposite sides of the shoe, thusvarying the resultant effective direction of the pushing force exertedby the roll.

In relasting shoes by previous methods,

overshot toes, produced by pushing lasts rollat exactly the rightinstant. As eX- plained in detail in my above-identified priorapplication, the roll 30 is pressed against the shoe with a force whichcan be adjusted to vary the friction between the roll and the shoe tothe correct amount to result. a

At the conclusion of theoperation illustratcd in Fig. 5, roll 30 is leftfree to rotate idly, and the apparatus is operated to actuate horn torelastthe counter portion of the shoe, as shown'in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. Atthe same time roll 30 moves l -cl: through the shank to theheel-seat,co-operating with the born by progressively forcing the, shoebottom against the last and at the same tin'ie operating to some extentto level the sole against the last. Before the actuating mechanism ofthe apparatus comes to rest, the roll returns to the shank, as shown inFig. 9, and holds the shoe bottom clai under heavy spring pressureagainst the last.

It is advantageous at this step of the relasting operation to secure theupper of the shoe about the enclosed last, by lacing or produce thisotherwise, as the pressure of the roll. 3t, against the shoe bottom aidsmaterially in securing a ti ht fit. This may be accomplished byinserting the instep block l3 and then lacing or otherwise securing theshoe upper in place, or alternatively by perforining the lacing orsecuring operatioi'i first and then forcing the instep block B intoplace. its this bloc-l: has somewhat of a wedgeshaped form this furthertightens the shoe. It is to be noted that in the reverse operation ofwithdrawing this blocl-z. it is also advantageous to compress the shoebottom against the last as shown in Fig. 9.

The final operation of the machine is to tilt the last pin into theposition shown in Fig. 10 to present the relas'ted shoe in. a convenientposition for removal and to lower the roll 30 to its original position.

As explained above it is desirable with some kinds of shoes to vary thedetails of this process as illustrated in Figs. 12 to 18. As will behereinafter explained, in so modifying my novel relasting process it maybe further desirable to mount the shoe ei'igaging roll in a manner toprevent bodily movementlongitudinally of the shoe and to arrange thedriving mechanism therefor; so that the roll may be rotated in eitherdirection under the control of an operator.

In relasting a shoe in this way a toe shoe horn or distorting member,shown in 11, comprising a horn portion 36 and a handle 38, may be usedshown in Figs. 12 and 13 to stretch the lining of the shoe during therelastingof the toe in a manner to preventwrinkling. This will obviateor at least minimize the necessity for what now a subsequent operationin sn'ioothing and stretching the lini with a hand implement called alining knife. The shoe is assembled on a last in the machine as shown inFig. 12 with' member 36 between the toe portion of the shoe and the toeof the last,

theroll 300 is brought upwardly against the shoe bottom and rotated inthe direction of the arrow in Fig. 13, while member 36 is withdrawn bythe operator; It will be evident that this operation will result inIn-preventingovershot toes by operat ing according to the modificationbeing'descr bed, I fine it desirable to maintain roll 300,,after therotation has been stopped,

clamped against the same place on the shoe bottom as shown n Figs. 14and 15, while the horn 32is operated to relast the counter portion ofthe shoe. By this arrangement the forward portion of the shoe is clampedtightly imposition, and any tendency of horn 32 to pull. the shoerearwardly far. enough to {result in an overshot toe is positivelyprevented.

In case it s desirable in operating on a -given kind of shoe to avoidstrain on the back seam, roll 300 may be arranged to entheshoe bottomwith sufficient friction so that when itis rotated in the directionshown in Fig. 13 the shoe will be pushed rearwardly on the lastfurtherthan its final position. Thereafter, the counter portion of the shoehaving been relasted as shown in Figs. 14 andlli, the direction ofrotation of roll 300 is reversed as shown in Fig. 16

t0 draw the shoe forwardlyon the last to its final position, taking upthe slack provided I l to glveadditional clearance. while relasting thecounter portion of, the shoe.

Thereafter the upper may be secured about thejlastby closing the fly ofthe upper by lacing or otherwise, as shown in 17 corresponding to Fig.9, and the relasted shoe ren'iovcd from the machine after being moved tothe position shown in 18, corresponding to Fig. 10.

In Fig. 19 is shown a view corresponding toFig. 18 of my above-referrcdto prior application No. 443,043, showing a mocliiication of theactuating mechanism of the machine shown in that apg'ilication to makeit possible to operate the roll 300 as shown in Figs. 12 to 18 The partsshown in Fig. 19 which have identical functions with corresponding partsin F] 3 of the said prior application are indicated by the samereference characters. Thus shaft 426 a support upon which are looselymounted a series of hell crank levers-110, 224;. and 126 for actuatingvarious parts or" the n'iachine and reference character 100 indicates apinion which acts tl'iroun'h mechanism fully described in the saidprior. application for 100- tating the roll 300. The pinion 100 is keyedto shaft 46 to rotate therewith. Likewise 68 indicates the main camshaft of the shaft under the control of the operator.

machine on which are mounted cams 120, 226, and .210 operating asdescribed in the said prior application.

It will be noted that a cam indicated at 128 in Fig. 13 of the saidprior application has been replaced by a sleeve indicated in F1g.19 ofthe present application at 129. Thus, while bell crank lever 126 may bead justed as explained in my prior application to vary the position ofroll 300, it will not have the bodily movement longitudinally of theshoe during the operation of the machine which in the former design wasefiiected by cam 128.

It will be observed that the drive mechanism at the right "of Fig. 19has been modified to permit rotation of pinion 100 (and therefore roll300) in. either direction under the control of'the operator. A gear 47,loosely mounted on shaft 46, is driven from a worm drive 40' by suitablegears 42 and. 44.

' A bevel gear 48 is secured to the gear 47 vto rotate therewith, andoperates through an intermediate gear 50 to rotate a third bevel gear 52in the opposite direction. Bevel gears 48 and 52 are loosely mountedwith respect to shaft 46 and means is provided v for connecting eitherof them to rotate that A clutch face is formed on the inner surface ofeach of the bevel gears 48 and 52 and a clutch member 54, which is keyedto shaft 46, is ararnged between them to be moved into engagement witheither of them by means of an operator-controlled bell crank lever 56.By'this modification of the mechanism of the machine shown in my saidprior application. No. 443,043 the roll 300 can be rotated in eitherdirection at the will of the operator by manipulation of lever 56-.

In Fig. 20 is shown a preferred construction of the above-referred toshoe-engaging roll comprising a cushion layer 146 enclosed in a rubberfriction layer 144 in which are formed vacuum cups .142. v The shoesbeing relasted must necessarily be in temper and in some cases the solesmay be sutficientlywet to make it possible for the roll to slip soonerthan is desired unless a heavy pressure is used. To obviate such.possible slipping there may be provided, as shown in Fig. 21, a suitablefabric, such as a canvas belt 802 passing about roll 300 and suitableidler rolls 30 4. The canvas has a greater tractive force on a wetsurface than by or otherwise appended claims, y 1

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1% i i I 1. Thatimprovementin] methoes of relasting shoes which comprises partially inserting alastin shoe, supporting the last and engaging the shoe in a manner toallow for slippage under excessive resistance without changing the pointof engagement with the shoe, and then relatively moving the shoe and thelast and simultaneously broadening the shoe upper to facilitate theseating of the lastand continuing said relative movement until theseating of the last causes slippage to occur.

than by the termsuof the 2. That improvement in methods of re-.

lasting shoes which comprises partially inserting a last in a shoe. andthen pushing the toe portion of the shoe over the last by engagementwith the tread face of the sole forwardly of the. shank in a manner topermit slippage to occur when the shoe is seated on the lastto avoidundue strainor injury of the shoe. W I I That improvement in methods ofrelasting shoes which comprises seating the toe portion of a shoe on alast, and then progressively forcing the shoe bottom against the lastandlongitudinally thereof while seating the counter port-ion on thelast.

comprises seating the forepart of shoe upon a last and thereafterapplying pressure progressively along the shank of the shoe to shape theshank. 5. That method of relasting turned shoes which comprisespartially inserting a last in a shoe, and then seating the toe portionof the shoe over the last while maintaininglthe toe of the lastseparated from the sole until after it has passed the channel lip andconstantly maintaining engagement of the sole with the last rearward ofthetoe;

6. A method of making turned shoes which comprises the steps ofproviding a second last and a first last wide enough to support theedges of the sole and related to the second last bywbeing 'of the shapeand size of. the inside of a shoe which when turned will tightly fitboth the forepart and heel portion of the second last, lasting andstitching a shoe on, the first last in the man ner of awelt shoe,removing: the. last, and relasting on'the second last in a manner toshape the shoe thereover.

7 A method of making turned shoes which comprises the steps of providinga second last and a. first last which is related to the second last asif formed therefrom by removing material from the top of the forwardportion and the bottom ofthe rear portion thereof and by adding materialto the sides of the second last adjacent to the bottom thereof tocompensate for the thickness of the shoe materials, and determining thesize and shape of a shoe relatively to its second last by lasting it onthe said first last.

8. That improvement in methods of re lasting shoes which comprisesinserting a last in a shoe, and moving the sole'of the shoe rearwardlyof the last while urging the upper forward relatively to the last duringthe seating of the shoe on the last.

9. That improvement in methods of re lasting shoes which comprisespartially inserting a. last in a shoe, moving the shoe and the lastlongitudinally relatively to one another, while twisting them relativelyto one another to seat the forepart of the shoe on the last, andapplying pressure to the rear part of the sole progressively lengthwiseof the last to facilitate the seating of therear part of the shoe.

10. That improvement in methods of re lasting shoes which comprisespushing the toe portion of ashoe on a last by engagement with the treadface of the sole forwardly of the shank, and varying the effec-tivedirection of the pushing force to guide the shoe to seated position onthe last.

11. That method of relasting shoes which comprises the steps ofrelatively moving a last and shoe to seat the toe of the lastfurther inthe shoe than its final position in order to provide extra clearance atthe heel, then seating the counter-portion of the shoe on the heel endof the last, and finally rela' tively moving the lastand shoe in adirection the reverse of the first movement in order to place the lastin its final position.

12. That method of relasting'shoes which comprises bringing a frictionroll against a shoe-and rotating it to push the shoe on a last furtherthan its final seated position to provide clearance about the heel, thensea-ting the counter portion of the shoe on the last while the forwardportion is held by the roll, and finally reversing the rotation of theroll to draw the shoe forward on the last to final position.

13. That method of moving shoes'relatively to lasts which comprisesplacing a fabric in engagement with a. shoe, pressing said fabricthereagainst to produce a considerable friction, and moving the fabricwhile pressed against the shoe frictionally tomove the shoe relativelyto a last;

14. That method of assembling a shoe on a last which comprisescompressing the boting the instep block of the last while the,

shoe'bottom is compressed against the last.

15. Thatmethod of relasting shoes which comprises smoothing the liningof a shoe simultaneously with the insertion of a last by placing a hornmember between the toe of the last and the inside upper toe portion ofthe sho'eto stretch and smooth the lining as the shoe is seated onthelast,

16. A method of relasting shoes which comprises simultaneously pressinga shoe against a last and relasting the toe of the shoe, andprogressively pressing the rear part of the shoebottom against the lastand longitudinally thereof WVllllB' relasting the counter port-ion ofthe shoe to prevent displacement of the previously'relasted toe.

17. That step ina method of relasting shoes which comprisesrelasting thecounter portion of a shoe while progressively pressing the rear part ofthe shoe bottom against the last and longitudinally thereof.

18. For use in the manufacture of turned shoes,-wherein there isemployed a second last shaped in accordance with the form to be impartedto afinished shoe, a first last which is related to said second last byhaving less material across the top of the forward portion and acrossthe bottom of the rear portion in order to compensate for the thicknessof the shoe materials. I i

19. For use in the manufacture of turned shoes, wherein there isemployed'a second last shaped in accordance with the form to be impartedto a finished shoe, a first last which is related to said second lastby'being enough broader to come out flush with the edges of the sole'ofa shoe lasted thereon,

and enough thinner to compensate exactly caused-by turning a shoe,lasted upon said first last, and determining the size and shape of ashoe relatively to said second last by lasting it upon said first last.

name to this specification. I

ARTHUR F. PYM.

In testimony whereof I hav'e sign'ed my

